Degree Requirements

The Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree program at UNT consists of a total of 120 hours of coursework from the five areas listed below. A minimum of 42 hours of the coursework must consist of upper-division courses (e.g., 3000 or 4000 level). Specific listings and descriptions of the Social Work Prerequisites courses and the Social WorkMajor Requirements are available at Course Info.

Course Type

Hours

Description

University Core

42

Core courses are intended to form a general education foundation and consist of English, history, biology, math, etc. All degree-seeking students are required to take core courses regardless of their major. Core courses may be taken at UNT or at another accredited university or community college and then transferred to UNT.

Social Work Prerequisites

9

These prerequisite courses introduce students to the profession of social work and to some of the social problems facing the world today. Successful completion of the prerequisites is one of the requirements to be eligible for formal admission to the social work major. These courses may be taken at UNT or students may take their equivalents at another accredited university or community college and then transfer them to UNT. Please note that students may be enrolled in one or more of these courses at the time of their application for admission to the Social Work major.

Social Work Major Requirements

43

Social Work major requirements must be taken at UNT. In these courses, students learn about human behavior, ethics, social welfare policy, addictions, and how to conduct interviews with clients. They are also introduced to the practice of social work and gain "hands on" experience in a field internship.

Electives

26+

Students may choose from a variety of courses, or complete a minor with their elective courses. However, there is no requirement that students in the Social Work program have a minor. Please note that the number of elective hours may increase by selecting courses that satisfy both core AND major requirements. Students should consult with their academic advisor to determine the elective courses or minor that best satisfies their career goals.

The Social Work academic advisor, Parker Ellis, can help you develop a degree plan that indicates which courses you should take each semester. The degree plan also shows you approximately how long it will take you complete your degree based on the number of hours you estimate you can take each semester. You can review a sample degree plan to see how a full-time UNT student could complete a BSW in four years.